16 June 2017

Moscow Court Cuts Navalny's 30-Day Jail Term To 25A court in Moscow has reduced the 30-day sentence that opposition politician Aleksei Navalny is currently serving for organizing an unsanctioned protest by five days. Moscow city court Judge Anna Seliverstova announced the decision on June 15, modifying the earlier decision of the Simonovsky district court. Seliverstova said the decision to reduce Navalny's term was made taking into account the fact that Navalny has two children and needs medical treatment for his eye, which was injured when an unknown assailant splashed a noxious chemical in his face on April 27. [...]

Two Russian Opposition Activists Flee To UkraineTwo activists from Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's Anticorruption Foundation (FBK) have fled to Ukraine after state media regulator Roskomnadzor launched investigations against them. Vladislav Zdolnikov, an FBK IT consultant, and activist Aleksandr Brusentsev crossed into Ukraine on June 15. The activists told the BBC that Roskomnadzor suspected them of illegally blocking access to some websites by using a vulnerability of the government's system for blocking banned websites. [...]

Dinar Idrisov receives administrative sentenceOn 14 June 2017, the Dzerzhinsky district Court of Saint Petersburg found the human rights defender, Dinar Idrisov, guilty of “petty hooliganism” and sentenced him to fourteen days of administrative detention. On 13 June 2017 at the Dzerzhinsky district Court of Saint Petersburg, Dinar Idrisov was attempting to provide legal assistance to activists and protesters who were on trial after they were arbitrarily detained during the anti-corruption demonstrations in Saint Petersburg on 12 June 2017. A judge of the court denied him access to the detainees and ordered his arrest. In the court building, the police accused Dinar Idrisov of failure to follow an order of a judge or bailiff under Article 17.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, and released him. When Dinar Idrisov left the court building, an unidentified person threw a bottle at him, that the defender managed to avoid. Immediately following the attack, police officers arrested Dinar Idrisov and took him to a special administrative detention facility in Gatchina city. [...]

Teenager put under house arrest in relation to clash with police at June 12 rallyThe Moscow Basmanny District Court had put 17-year-old Mikhail Galayshkin, charged with using violence against a National Guard officer at June 12 unauthorized rally, under house arrest, RAPSI learnt in the court on Friday. The court granted a motion of investigators to keep the teenager under house arrest until August 13. His communication, including right to use Internet, has been restricted. [...]

Russian high school history teacher is fired after attending June 12 anti-corruption protestA high school social studies teacher in the Krasnodar region says he was fired after attending an anti-corruption protest on June 12. Alexander Korovainy told the local news site Yuga.ru that police officers came to his school after the demonstration and charged him with violating Russia’s law on public assemblies. A few days later, a court sentenced him to 10 days in jail. Anna Kravtsova, the school’s principal, told reporters that Korovainy’s dismissal is unrelated to his political activism, explaining that he was only a substitute teacher. “The school year has ended, and so, accordingly, has our contract with him,” she said. [...]

18 months forced psychiatric treatment for opposing Russia’s war against UkraineAlexei Moroshkin, a Chelyabinsk activist and recognized political prisoner, has been released after being held against his will in a psychiatric clinic since November 2015. He was said to "no longer pose a danger to society’. Any such danger has been disputed by, among others, the Memorial Human Rights Centre which believes Moroshkin was effectively imprisoned for his civic opposition activities and for his criticism of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. There may have been opposition to the release since the hospital’s decision that he should be freed was taken back on May 4, and the court ruling issued on June 1. [...]

Russian sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment for defending UkraineRussia’s Investigative Committee and courts have developed their own, specific, definition of mercenary, and it is only very loosely connected with money. Artem Shirobokov is the first Russian to have been convicted of ‘taking part in an armed conflict as a mercenary’ and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. There is nothing to suggest that he was paid for his actions, unlike many other Russians who are known to have received remuneration, yet there is one crucial difference: Shirobokov was defending Ukraine, not fighting on the side of the Kremlin-backed militants in Donbas. The court in the Russian city of Samara tried and, on June 7, 2017, sentenced Shirobokov in his absence. Once the ruling comes into force (and the young Russian is not in a position to appeal against it), Shirobokov will face arrest if he enters Russia. [...]

Organizer of anti-corruption rally in Makhachkala avoids administrative punishmentPolicemen disrupted an action in the Makhachkala "Hyde Park", where activists planned to out questions to Russian President on the eve of his direct line, said Nurmagomed Gazimagomedov. According to his story, he was released from the police station in the evening on June 14, without drawing up any administrative protocol. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Gazimagomedov had come to the park, along with his friends, to read out an appeal to President Vladimir Putin. [...]Source: Caucasian Knot [15 June 2017]

Court ignores defendants' fears about seizure of documents in Boris Nemtsov's murder caseIn the case of the Boris Nemtsov's murder, the judge gave the defendants for examination the materials of the court hearings not attended by them. Meanwhile, the judge ignored the statements of the defendants that the documents would be taken away from them during their transfer to the SIZO (pre-trial prison). The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 8, during the trial in the case of the Boris Nemtsov's murder, the Moscow District Military Court completed listening to the main speeches in the debate of the parties. On April 11, after the cross talk in the presence of the jury, the judge removed Shagid and Anzor Gubashev from the trial in the case of the Boris Nemtsov's murder. On May 31, the judge removed Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, since, according to the judge, the defendant the voiced the information not to be disclosed and did not respect the participants of the trial. [...]Source: Caucasian Knot [15 June 2017]

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